LOS ANGELES, Oct. 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — At the iconic Beverly Wilshire Hotel on October 27, Gift of Life Marrow Registry’s One Huge Night Los Angeles Gala brought together celebrities, supporters and transplant donors for an evening of inspiration and impact. Guests honored the lifesaving connections forged through stem cell and marrow transplants and rallied behind Gift of Life’s mission to cure blood cancer.
Among the evening’s distinguished guests were Beverly Hills Mayor Sharona R. Nazarian and David Michael, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Anzu Partners and Chairman of the Gift of Life Biologics Board of Directors. Award-winning actress, singer, dancer, and philanthropist Montana Tucker served as the emcee, with a special performance by musical artist Shanee Zamir.
The highlight of the event was the introduction of two transplant recipients and their respective stem cell and marrow donors. The first donor and recipient pair, both from Los Angeles, Calif., included 48-year-old leukemia survivor Austin Mallis and Daniel Kamerman-Glik, the 27-year-old who saved his life.
Mallis, a husband and father, was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) in April 2022 after experiencing night sweats, a facial rash, severe shortness of breath and a sudden loss of stamina. Because no one in his family was a match, his doctors stressed that his best hope was a stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor.
“I’m incredibly relieved that my doctors were able to find a perfect, unrelated donor match,” said Mallis. “I’m grateful to Gift of Life for giving people like me, whose only treatment option is a transplant, the chance to keep living.”
Mallis’ donor, Kamerman-Glik, was grateful for the chance to help when Gift of Life notified him that he was a match for a patient in need. He had joined the registry during a Birthright trip to Israel in 2019.
The evening’s second donor pair shared an equally moving experience. Logan Gearing, a three-year-old survivor of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome and his family were introduced to Orion McLain, his 24-year-old marrow donor.
In May 2023, McLain was a college student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst when he decided to join the registry. Even knowing how rare it is to be someone’s match, he was ready to step up. A year later, he was stunned when he received the call to donate.
As McLain reflected on his experience, he encouraged others to join the registry, stating, “It takes only a few minutes to swab your cheek, and the potential impact is really incredible.”
Privacy regulations prevent donors and recipients from learning the identity of their matches for the first year, making these introductions a heartwarming and long-anticipated moment for both families.
The gala also served as a platform to recognize the unwavering commitment and outstanding advocacy of Gift of Life’s supporters. The family of famed television producer and writer, Steven Bochco z”l, presented the annual Steven Bochco Award to Zach Warter. Warter’s journey began in 2014, when his father battled leukemia and the family organized donor recruitment drives in hopes of finding a match. Although his father passed away, Warter continued championing the cause by leading campus recruitment drives at Tulane University and participating in Gift of Life events. Years later, he learned he was a match for a 15-year-old leukemia patient and immediately stepped forward to donate. The following year, he met the young man he helped save, a powerful full-circle moment that forged a lasting bond between their families.
In addition, longtime Gift of Life volunteers Melissa Deutsch and Jill Fink were recognized by Gift of Life with a parade of testimonials from five live-saving stem cell and marrow donors who had joined the registry at recruitment events they had organized.
About Gift of Life Marrow Registry
Gift of Life Marrow Registry is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla. The organization, established in 1991, is dedicated to saving lives by facilitating blood stem cell and bone marrow transplants for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood-related diseases. The registry houses its own state-of-the-art stem cell collection center, biobank, and laboratory. To learn more about Gift of Life Marrow Registry, visit www.giftoflife.org.
Media contact: Amy Glanzman
Phone: (561) 982-2900; Email: [email protected]
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1a86fd58-6f56-4578-b25d-b97248a00b1e